ESOL teacher Barbara Gottshalk frequently hears well-intentioned but misinformed comments and questions about English language learners and her teaching field. In this article, she clarifies the misconceptions revealed by 10 common remarks--for example, "The students will never learn English if they don't speak it in their home,"…

As this historical overview shows, viewing grade retention as a panacea for education woes ignores its negative effects on children. Today's retention rate is high, matching that of the early 1900s. Retained students are more likely to drop out, have underprivileged backgrounds, be male and African American, and have less educated parents.…

Summarizes school readiness and retention research issues, including youngest first graders' performance, entrance age policies, voluntary decisions to wait an extra year, assessment of children's readiness, and the negative effects of kindergarten and first-grade retention. Concludes that age disadvantages are seldom serious and usually disappear…

Although grade retention is widely practiced, it does not help children catch up or prevent school dropouts. In one study, children rated the prospect of flunking a grade as more stressful than wetting in class or being caught stealing. Remediation and other within-grade instructional efforts have a more positive success rate. Includes 16…

Research suggests that delayed entry into kindergarten has a better chance than kindergarten retention of helping at-risk children avoid school failure. Educators are cautioned to take into account the interactions among race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and age. Some researchers view full-day kindergarten as one way of providing…

Presents the case of Daryl, a fourth grader who performs well in daily classroom work, but cannot tolerate testing. Because of New York State testing mandates, this child will probably repeat fourth grade or be assigned to special education classes. Clearly, alternative measures building on children's strengths are needed. Includes two references.…

Summarizes research findings on the academic and social effects on students of grade repetition, and concludes that most students do not benefit from nonpromotion. (JG)

Argues that under certain conditions, high standards and demanding assessment can hurt rather than help low-achieving students. Discusses three practices educators and policymakers should avoid: requiring students to repeat a grade, placing students in low-track classes, and holding students accountable for material not yet taught. (Contains 13…

Professionals must teach and operate schools in the best interests of students, using their knowledge to guide their efforts. This article summarizes what educators know about teaching and learning, teachers and work conditions, and school improvement. Decentralization, deregulation, and empowerment will prevail only by creating "elite"…

This literature review cautions that the issue of whether promotion or retention is more beneficial to student achievement is especially murky when it becomes a political decision. It concludes that grade retention seems to ignore the question of instructional effectiveness, blames the child for failure, and absolves the school of responsibility.…

New Haven (Connecticut) Public Schools realized that pushing students academically was useless without creating a positive school climate to address their social and emotional needs. James Comer's School Development Program is the district's guiding principle. Via planning and student-support teams, school community members decide on life-skills…

Summarizes conclusions from a review on the effects of programs intended to prevent early school failure. Examines the effects of birth-to-three programs, preschool, kindergarten, grade retention, class size and instructional aides, nongraded primary programs, one-to-one tutoring, and others. Research on prevention and early intervention indicates…

Report on research from 18 states that concludes that high-stakes tests do not lead to higher student achievement. In addition, such tests can decrease student motivation to learn and lead to higher student retention and dropout rates. (Contains 2 figures and 21 references.) (WFA)